Science Isn’t Enough
I’ll keep this short, as I don’t want to gild the lily; the amazing Gus Speth nailed it. We either reverse this trend toward tribalism and selfishness, and learn to work together as a species, or we’re cooked. (Larger version below.)
Craig,
I’m not sure what Gus Speth means by a spiritual and cultural transformation.
I’m also doubt whether scientists aligning themselves with a political agenda advocated by ideologues and leftist media outlets assist the process.
Last December the Washington Post published an article claiming the Trump administration had banned seven words at the Centers for Disease Control.
The ensuing cacophony from the leftist ‘outrage machine’ kicked into high gear amid claims terms such as, “vulnerable”, “entitlement”, “diversity”, “transgender”, “fetus”, “evidence-based” and “science-based.” had been banned
The NYT and CNN claimed the ban evidenced a political and ideological agenda by the administration and proved Trump’s antipathy toward scientists.
Advocates vented their outrage at this new evidence of a “war on science”, being conducted by the Trump administration.
It didn’t matter the ” list of banned words” never existed ! The “list” wasn’t anything to do with the Trump administration. It was part of a discussion among career bureaucrats about the possibility of spreading disinformation about the administration.
As one Washington insider observed, ” the list reads like some left-leaning functionary’s best guess about the sort of words that might be banned by the White House, if the White House were to bother banning words”.
The idea worked, the media, without checking, eagerly ran with the outrage and even now the story is believed and still cited by many as evidence of the administrations “war on Science”.
As Professor Roger Pielke Jr warns, “scientists who are opposed to Trump should take care their zeal does not backfire. Perceived partisanship within the scientific community carries some political risks, and so too do repetitive, routine expressions of actual or faux outrage. Almost one year after the March for Science, there is seemingly little energy in any follow-up or the building of a movement.”
Wise words indeed.